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Reading and my New Year’s Resolutions

Have you seen the New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge yet? Read books to support your resolutions. Since I’m hosting it, it would probably be a really good idea to sign up for it myself, eh? Also, a really good idea to sign up at the highest level, Passionate, which is four books between now and the end of January. Four books isn’t too many, especially since they are books that support the things I most want done in the next year.

Resolution 1. Figure out maintenance. I’ll be ending 2012 at roughly the same weight I started. But when I started 2012, I wasn’t sure if this was my maintenance weight. Maybe I could push it lower. Maybe I would decide I needed more of something in my life and would accept a higher maintenance weight to allow for it. Now, I know. The weight I’m at is within the 5-pound range that I intend to maintain.

One of the reasons I’ve been so reluctant to declare myself in maintenance is that I don’t know how to do it. I’ve spent three years learning how to lose 70 pounds. But what do you do when the drama of watching the scale number go down goes away? I hope to find some answers while reading these two books:

Thin for Life by Anne Fletcher

Smart Chefs Stay Slim by Allison Adato

Resolution 2.Think deeply about what comes next. I didn’t put my life on hold to lose weight. Even so, I seem to want something to happen now, a new focus or direction or way of being. I’m not sure what. This is a very nebulous resolution.

I was a little worried, looking at Leonie Dawson’s site, that this would be the sort of thing that I couldn’t benefit from unless I sent my cynicism to the corner for the duration. So, I started with her freebie e-book, Blogging & Biz Star Workshop. I loaded it on my tablet and took it to the car dealer this morning for an oil change that turned into a longer deal with belt replacement added in. And, I had a blast reading through the book and jotting down the many ideas it generated. Admittedly, my cynicism tends to curl up behind the Christmas tree with a mug of hot chocolate this time of year, so I was more open than I might have been at another time. 2013 Create Your Incredible Year is going to work just fine for me in my festive holiday and fresh new year sort of mood.

I’ll probably work through both the Life and Business Editions of the workbooks, but I’m going to count them as one book for the purpose of the New Year’s Resolution Reading Challenge. So, here’s book 3:

Resolution 3. ???????. I’m holding open my third resolution and fourth book for this challenge in case some of you come up with something that I really want to read. In tomorrow’s Weekend Cooking post, I’m going to ask that crowd for their ideas on books to support resolutions like “take my cooking to the next level” and “try new recipes.” On Saturday, I’ll poll the Saturday Snapshot folks for books to support the resolution “improve my photography.”

I’m open to other ideas as well. What book-supported resolutions have you found satisfying?

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Comments

Reading and my New Year’s Resolutions — 6 Comments

I love your second resolution! I’m really trying to figure out what comes next. I want 2013 to be different than 2012. Much different. Before I buy 2013 Create your Incredible Year, I’ll wait and see what you think of it first.

The workbook sounds interesting. Sometimes books like that can motivate me and other times they feel stifling. I’m such a carrot-chaser in life anyway. I have a couple vegan cookbooks I downloaded on my Kindle that were fun– just for some different ideas of non-animal based meals. I feel better when I eat like that, but sometimes the discipline doesn’t follow! Sounds like you have a great start planned for your reading new year.

The best resolution book I ever read and put in to place: The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Her monthly challenges to herself can be broken out to adapt to anyone’s life changes. Very inspiring.

You are quite the inspiration! I am really grateful that I came across your blog, you are really making my life better. 🙂 I love your second resolution too, I’ve had my eye on the leonie books for some time, I just haven’t been sure if I should actually spend money on them. Sounds like they’re worth it though!